Apple Watch Series 3 First Review: Is Cellular Connectivity Really A Game-Changer? (Updated)

David Phelan
, ContributorOpinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

David Phelan

Apple Watch Series 3 with telltale red Digital Crown showing this is a version with 4G connectivity.

Now updated to add details of the connectivity issues some other reviewers have found connecting their Watches to cellular.

The first Apple Watch was beautifully designed and an accomplished first iteration, but the software wasn’t as intuitive as it might have been and left users waiting while screens loaded and apps launched.

That improved with software revisions, and last autumn’s updated hardware helped more. That’s when swimproofing was added, too. But it’s the arrival of the latest model, Series 3, that suddenly makes the Apple Watch a real contender, I’d say.

The design remains the same in all but one detail. On the latest models, a red dot adorns the Digital Crown, as it did on the original Apple Watch Edition premium models. Now, though, you don’t need to pay over $10,000 for your Watch.

David Phelan

Apple Watch Series 3 with red Digital Crown.

The red dot will divide opinion. I like the way it gleams, and the glossy red is eye-catching enough for everyone in the know to spot that you have the latest model! Other than that it’s identical to earlier Watches so your response to that design will likely be the same here.

The real change here is the addition of LTE connectivity, which is what the red dot signifies. A version of Series 3 with GPS but not LTE is also available, and costs $70 less (£70 less in the UK). It means, at last, that you can use your Watch to make calls, send texts, get directions in Maps, talk to Siri even if your iPhone is nowhere nearby. All for the first time – and you could argue this functionality should have been there from day one. Still, imagine what the price would have been.

The Series 3 with GPS (but without cellular) still lets you measure your run, say, accurately without your iPhone weighing you down, but GPS is not the same as mapping, obviously, and you need a data connection for that. The great advantage of LTE, then, is freedom and it’s a palpable benefit which I’m enjoying.

I found making calls was easy and that call quality was much better than I’d experienced on previous Watches where you are dependent on the strength of wireless connection between iPhone and Watch as well as iPhone signal strength.

Being able to talk to Siri is a real bonus, instead of having to wait until you get home to the iPhone. And on Series 3, Siri can talk back, too, instead of simply showing her answer onscreen.

I've heard from colleagues that there have been hiccups in their LTE experiences with the Watch joining unauthenticated wi-fi networks and thus not linking to cellular. This has led to Apple stating in an email to The Verge, 'We have discovered that when Apple Watch Series 3 joins unauthenticated Wi-Fi networks without connectivity, it may at times prevent the watch from using cellular. We are investigating a fix for a future software release.'

This is an unusual occurrence, stating awareness of a problem at the very moment that products are being shipped. And there's no knowledge of how soon this release might happen.

Testing the Watch in the UK, on the EE network, I have to say I haven't had a single issue, which is not to say it didn't happen - and it is concerning. I'll report back if I find any issues arise.

Meantime, let’s not undersell the achievement Apple has managed in making cellular set-up very straightforward or the technical skill of letting your Watch respond with the same phone number as your iPhone – that’s pretty clever and makes the whole thing a much more seamless experience.

But it’s important to note that you still need an iPhone for the Apple Watch to work – this is still a companion device – even if it doesn’t need to be in the vicinity. And there’s the cost of a data plan for the Watch to add to your regular phone plan. These costs are not high but they do exist.

Furthermore, for now at least, the Apple Watch only works in the country you bought it in, there’s no roaming possible. This looks like it’s a technical issue – it’s certainly not something the carriers have introduced. And as such it may change in time. For now, though, don’t buy and Apple Watch overseas, even if it’s cheaper, unless you plan to use it there.

Also worth noting is that you need a phone plan on the same network as the Watch plan. Hold on, that’s not quite right, it’ll do all the stuff previous Watches would do, from telling the time with amazing precision to beaming texts and emails from your iPhone to your wrist and so on. But for the freedom that cellular offers, then those provisos apply.

Beyond cellular, the uprated dual-core S3 chip in Series 3 is hugely to be welcomed – the Watch is now blazing fast with hardly any waiting around for screen loading. Apple says its new chip is 70 per cent faster than before, and it feels much quicker than that, even.

David Phelan

The new Apple Watch Series 3.

In terms of hardware, the only other real difference is the inclusion of a barometric altimeter to count flights of stairs climbed and to credit your calorie-burning more accurately as a result. This is good and developers will be able to access this in their fitness apps. Otherwise, other aspects of the Watch continue from last time: the waterproofing to 164 feet (50m) remains as before, for example.

I’ve written extensively about the new watchOS 4 elsewhere so won’t touch on that here, except to say that Toy Story watch face appears onscreen to delight you even more snappily here.

Pricing starts at $399 for the 38mm case Series 3 with GPS + Cellular, $429 for the larger 42mm case. Take $70 off each price if you want GPS but not cellular, add $200 to pop for the stainless steel case (38mm) or add $220 for the 42mm version. The Ceramic, which comes in white and a frankly gorgeous Ceramic Gray, costs $1,299 or $1,349 depending on size. There are also Nike+ and Hermès editions and new straps, too!

If you like the idea of getting a text or email on your wrist so you don’t have to dive into your bag to retrieve your iPhone every time it notifies you, then the Apple Watch is great. That iPhone grab takes you out of whatever conversation you’re in the middle of way more than a discreet Watch-glance does.

And now, you can even leave your iPhone at home although, actually, does anyone ever do that? Well, you might if you’re swimming, running or heading to a sketchy diver bar, perhaps.

Not everyone wants a connected watch but if you do, Apple’s is the best around and this new version is a big leap forward.